Zoning board approves variance for PIA

February 5, 2014

WEIRTON - The Weirton Zoning Board of Appeals voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a variance permitting a temporary structure to be utilized for permanent use as part of a driver training program.

The Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics has been using a trailer at 4724 Freedom Way to administer commercial drivers license testing on a temporary basis and already received a three-month extension on its initial six-month agreement with the city. A variance to allow permanent use of the structure was tabled at January's regular meeting because there were no PIA representatives present.

Gary Hoyle, director of campus operations at PIA, was in attendance Tuesday to explain the request to the board in better detail.

"We can use the site where the open area is for our CDL training school and also for CDL testing, and we're planning on using the facility in the future as a place for people to come in and get warm, to have lunch in and so on," Hoyle said. "We're presently looking at a location on Main Street to lease a facility for a classroom and an office space. It's imperative to operations to have someplace for the students to use while they're at the yard training, that they have a facility to go into to get warm or cool."

The facility is a converted tractor trailer and relatively inconspicuous in its location, officials said. According to Bruce Lamp, code official, the trailer recently was inspected and meets code requirements.

Zoning board members voted unanimously to pass the provision, which was the only item on the agenda.